The invention relates to a shipment loading system for loading shipments into a unit load device comprising a conveyer, a platform and a cargo space for placing the unit load device on a ground floor. The invention further relates to a method for loading the unit load device with the shipment loading system.
A unit load device, often abbreviated as ULD, is a container or pallet used to load luggage, freight, shipments and/or mail on aircrafts. ULDs are preferably used for express shipments to be delivered by said aircrafts, as the ULD allows a larger quantity of cargo respectively shipments to be bundled into a single unit i.e. into the unit load device. The ULD can then be loaded into an aircraft and unloaded from, respectively, an aircraft by specialized motorized means, as known from prior art. Since the shipments are bundled into a single unit this leads to few pieces to load and unload from the aircraft and thus saves time and effort.
ULD containers, also referred to as cans or pods, are most often closed containers made of aluminum, having at least one door and sometimes even built-in refrigeration units.
ULD pallets are often provided with rubbed sheets of aluminum with rims to lock onto so-called cargo net lugs.
Aviation unit load devices are standardized in several types, for example container types LD1, LD2, LD3, LD6, LD8 and LD11, which have different width, but the same depth and height. The most common container type is called LD3 having a volume of 4.5 m3. For example, a Boeing 777 can load up to 44 LD3s.
Express shipments transported by a unit load device often comprise so-called “mixed” shipments having both conveyable shipments as well as forkable shipments that can only be moved with a lift truck. The loading of such ULDs with mixed shipments by using prior art systems is very time-consuming and thus cost-expensive. In addition, the loading is also very unergonomic for an operator as the operator basically has to grab manually each conveyable shipment and place it into an interior of the unit load device. The operator needs to stoop down very often to grab the shipment e.g. from a motorized transporting means in order to place it on a higher place onto the ULD, above other shipments placed before. As a result, operators often become ill or injured as such handling is not very ergonomic for human beings.